Starting Something New

A recent trip to Paducah, KY naturally included a stop at Hancock's of Paducah. Actually, I ended up going there twice in the two days we were in town. I didn't have a specific project or plan in mind when I got there, but something about their beautiful lineup of Grunge fabrics really spoke to me, especially the teal and turquoise variations. Here's what I bought.

For some reason, these fabrics sparked the desire to get started on a quilt project that has been on my bucket list for many years. That is the Dear Jane Quilt. For those who aren't familiar with the name, "Dear Jane" refers to a book by Brenda Manges Papadakis, originally published in 1996. The full title is Dear Jane: The Two Hundred Twenty-Five Patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle Quilt.

Sampler by Jane A. Blakely Stickle, 1863

80.25" x 80.25"

Brenda was a math teacher and quilt scholar when she became fascinated by the Jane Stickle quilt. She began by drafting the blocks from a photo of the quilt in a book, then later from photos taken by a friend. She was able to see the quilt in person in 1992 and traced the designs for the rest of the blocks.

The Dear Jane quilt consists of 169 square blocks (13 rows of 13 blocks.)  The finished size of each block is 4.5", and there is 1/2" sashing and cornerstones between them. The border has 52 triangular blocks along the sides, and four kite-shaped blocks in the corners, bringing the grand total to 225 blocks, and all of them are different.

Block E7

The first block to be made was #E7. The blocks are numbered in the book by row, then counting across. I started with this aqua fabric to make sure it wasn't too pale. I put it up on the wall along with squares of most of the other colors. I'm glad I tested it first, because it does look too light to me. The solid squares of that color (Pool) are okay, but in lower light, the pale aqua just disappears. I don't want to put all this work into blocks that blend into the background.

The other colors featured in the above photo all made the final cut for the quilt, although they will not line up in the order shown. The colors from top to bottom are Jade, Horizon Blue, Ocean, Cabana, Turquoise and Prussian. My background choice is Cream (or Creme.)

After figuring out my color choices and assigning them to the quilt diagram, I was ready to begin making blocks. I started at the very beginning of the patterns in the book with A1 and have completed enough blocks for about half of the first row so far. 

Top row: A1, A8, A2

Second row: A4, E7, A3

Third row: A6, A5, A13

Some of the blocks are very simple, but most are not. There are quite a few that include applique, and many are easiest to piece on foundations. I have found a few blogs/websites with tips for making the blocks, but I can generally figure it out for myself too. 

This will be a very long-term project, with no deadline for completion. I have only 1/2 yard of each of the Grunge colors that were selected, so I need to figure out how much more of those to buy, plus I will need lots more of the background. I might end up getting a whole bolt of that. I'm sure there will be plenty of frustration at times, but I'm looking forward to the many challenges of this new project. Wish me luck!

Linking up with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA